It has been 374 days since I attended a sporting event, actually 374 days since I attended any public event. 374 days, no matter how you break it down, whether you see it as 8,976 hours or 538,560 minutes or even 32,313,600 seconds, is a really long time. I look at my dog sleeping peacefully next to me on the couch and for her 374 days is about seven years in her life.
Last night was the end of my live sports drought. Jenn and I looked forward to it as a starving man looks forward to a hot meal. We decided to celebrate being completely vaccinated against Covid-19 by going to see our beloved New Jersey Devils host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Being at the arena, feeling the chill of the air from the ice, inhaling the aroma of hot dogs and beer, cheering on our boys and booing Sidney Crosby was nourishment for my soul. Even though there was only 1,900 fans at an arena which can seat 19,000, it was still great to be around other fans, chanting “Rangers Suck” (yes I know they were playing the Penguins but its a Devil’s thing.)
Even better, our team who have not been playing that well, won! The final score was 3-2 Devils. I can honestly say that last night, even if the Devils lost, I would have still been smiling. It was a nice reminder of the normalcy we once had and will get back to some day. That is what sports are to me; a reminder to never give up and to keep smiling even when you are losing. If it feels like Covid is beating us, it’s not. Because we will keep persevering and we will keep smiling and we will keep cheering on our teams and chanting “Rangers Suck.”
Time Out With Jenn & Lisa 